[Terrapreta] marketing charcoal

[Gerald Van Koeverden]

Just discovered an astonishing niche market for charcoal - textiles.   
On Alibaba, one can find a whole slew of companies marketing  
'charcoal fiber yarn.'  They say that the core technologies concern  
grinding the charcoal into nanometer-scale particles which are then  
impregnated into cotton fibers...

	"Chen explained that the charcoal the MRL's technology utilizes is  
made from the Makino bamboo, or Phyllostachys makinoi, carbonized at  
2,800 degrees Celsius in traditional kilns. The core technologies  
concern the processes for grinding the charcoal into nanometer-scale  
particles and impregnating them in yarn.

         According to Chen, although the bamboo-charcoal yarn is  
characterized by structural delicacy, it is nonetheless highly porous  
and capable of absorbing large amounts of matter. The special  
properties of the charcoal powder derive from its efficacy in  
filtering large molecules and its ability to absorb body heat and  
transform it into infrared radiation. Since the charcoal is  
distributed inside fibers rather than on their surface, garments made  
with bamboo-charcoal yarn can be washed repeatedly without  
diminishing the efficacy of the carbon powder's special qualities.

	Cheng Seng-mei, president of Taiwan Paiho, pointed out that Nike  
Inc. of the United States has designated bamboo-charcoal fiber as one  
of the materials that it intends to incorporate in products to be  
introduced this year. Adidas and Reebok are likewise evaluating its  
applications, he said. Potentially, he opined, the global market for  
bamboo-charcoal textile products is worth hundreds of millions of  
dollars.

         Although the cost of textile products made with bamboo- 
charcoal fiber is about 20 percent higher than that of ordinary  
products, they will prove to be highly competitive, particularly in  
the case of sports and health-related apparel, Cheng opined."

http://publish.gio.gov.tw/FCJ/past/05011482.html

Gerrit


On 14-Jan-08, at 1:45 AM, Tom Miles wrote:

> Gerritt,
>
> Useful information. The producer is getting less these days. But  
> these costs apply to the retail mix or “black magic” market. If you  
> are a producer you want to reach those markets. If you are a  
> consumer you want the lowest cost charcoal possible.
>
> Here the retail price can be $1/lb ($2000/ton). That means the  
> producer can deliver it to the Wholesaler at $0.35/lb($700/ton).  
> Why bother with an ag market that might be able to afford only  
> $0.10/lb($200/ton)? Because the high value market exists I don’t  
> think we’ll see traditional charcoal producers making a wholesale  
> ag product unless it is a surplus.
>
> If we go back to the smoldering trash heap model of terra preta  
> (e.g., “terra preta is full of broken ceramics and organic debris  
> with a high charcoal content and evidence of concentrated nutrient  
> recycling from excrement, organic waste, fish and animal bones.”)  
> we might be able to make something a grower can afford.
>
> Tom
>
>
> >From my inquiry into charcoal marketing, I go the following  
> response from an importer of charcoal into Canada:
>
> "As for costs - the following breakdown - if you look in the stores  
> at say Royal Oak or Cowboy at a 10 Kg bag it is composed like this:
>
> >The retailer gets around 40%
> >Distributor/ wholesaler 25%
> >Producer (delivered to Distributor) 35%
>
> >If a 10 Kg bag of Royal Oak retails for $15.00 the wholesale cost  
> work out to round $5.25 per bag or $525 per ton if you take  
> shipping etc out of the equation you >can not produce for more than  
> $300.00 per ton to be competitive.
>
> >Gerrit

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